Tag Archives: Blaise Taylor cornrows

Blaise Taylor, son of Auburn coach Trooper Taylor, has been told his braided hair will keep him off the high school basketball team

With just a few weeks left before Auburn takes on the Oregon Ducks in the BCS Title game, this probably isn’t the type of distraction War Eagles’ WR coach and recruiting extraordinaire, Trooper Taylor, needed. Then again, how could anyone blame him for fighting it?

According to a report from NBC affiliate WSFA 12 News, the Taylor family is suing Auburn High School, a public school, over a policy that prohibits Trooper’s son, Blaise Taylor, from playing on the Junior Varsity basketball team.

Oh, and it’s not because the kid can’t play, apparently. Nor because he broke any school rules, or because he’s been suspended, or anything rational like that. No, it’s because Blaise sports cornrows — “braided hair, ” to the layperson. The Taylor’s suit is geared only towards having the rule changed — they’re not seeking any financial damages.

According to school board attorney, Rick Davidson:

It has always been Coach Tolbert’s strong belief that teaching young men that the identity of the team and the program takes precedence over all individuals. To that end, Coach Tolbert has tried to teach young men that the way they present themselves has a major impact on how other people perceive them.

According to Blaise, however, some of his teammates have “long hair,” and thus he thinks it’s unfair he can’t play. Frump, of course, agrees — and regardless of what “long hair” actually constitutes here.

Assuming there are, in fact, some “long hairs” on the school’s basketball team, the good news is that administrators have apparently come far enough to realize not everyone with hair past their ears — or even a Beatles-esque mop-top — is necessarily a lazy, pot-smoking, commie subservient. Well, at least not in the strictest sense.

The bad news: Auburn High School is presumably still under the impression that braided hair, in and of itself, projects some sort of universal, negative image and/or identity. For shame…